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OpenMoko offline reader puts Wikipedia in your pocket

OpenMoko has launched a new product called WikiReader, a mobile touchscreen …

OpenMoko has launched a new product called WikiReader, a small mobile device that stores over 3 million Wikipedia entries. Users can browse Wikipedia offline on its touchscreen display. The WikiReader will also empower its owner to use the best geek pick-up line ever: "I have the sum total of human knowledge in my pants. Do you want to see it?"

OpenMoko, which was spun off of FIC in 2007, aimed to build open source smartphone devices. Although OpenMoko's phone products have attracted interest from Linux enthusiasts, the company suffered serious setbacks and failed to overcome a number of significant technical and philosophical problems. OpenMoko halted development of its third smartphone, codenamed GTA03, in April following budget cuts that were necessitated by the economic downturn. Some of the features that were initially planned for GTA03, such as 3G support, were prohibitively expensive and could not be implemented with fully open drivers.

OpenMoko's prospects for survival looked somewhat bleak after the cancellation of the third device, but CEO Sean Moss-Pultz had a plan for recovery. In April, he hinted that the company was exploring opportunities for an alternate product that would be more viable and less ambitious than the failed smartphone plan. At the time, he referred to it as "Project B" and provided no specific details other than the fact that it wouldn't be a phone. WikiReader, which was announced Tuesday on the OpenMoko mailing list, is apparently the realization of Project B.

"WikiReader takes our original ideas of openness and accessibility to an even greater realm. WikiReader is so amazingly simple. There really is no interface," wrote Moss-Pultz. "You turn it on and instantly become immersed in the rich world of reading specific topics or the serendipitous pleasure of discovering something by chance. It's perfect for all ages."

The device, which is priced at $99, is powered by AAA batteries and has a capacitive touchscreen. The exact dimensions and technical specs are not yet available, but Moss-Pultz says that additional details will be announced in a few days. The product's website claims that the screen is readable under direct sunlight and that the device's power requirements are so low that the batteries will last for roughly 12 months of normal usage. Users can search for a desired entry by typing on an onscreen keyboard and can click links to navigate between entries.

The Wikipedia content, which will consist of a selection of 3 million articles, is stored on a removable 4GB micro-SD card. The device itself has no connectivity, so it will not be possible to update it directly over the air. Users will, however, be able to download updated content and manually install it on the card using a regular computer. OpenMoko also offers a subscription service and will mail updated memory cards twice a year for $29.

Those of us with modern Web-enabled smartphones can already access Wikipedia from anywhere, but the WikiReader product could potentially be useful to people who don't have constant connectivity. The removable data storage medium suggests that we might eventually see third-party content modules emerge with other material, hypothetically allowing the device to be used as an electronic bible or dictionary, for example. If it inherits OpenMoko's standard commitment to openness, it's also likely that independent developers will find innovative ways to repurpose it.

Although the WikiReader is an intriguing and clever concept, there are some limitations that might make it a less-than-ideal window into Wikipedia. When I read a Wikipedia article, I often glance at the discussion and history pages to get a better feel for the article's status and level of credibility. The ability to look at change deltas and see how an article has evolved is sometimes more instructive than the article itself. WikiReader doesn't expose these aspects of Wikipedia. Even more fundamental, it's unclear if WikiReader will be able to display the images that are embedded in Wikipedia articles.

With a sturdy design and manageable $99 price, the WikiReader could be a good back-to-school gift for young students. It also seems like it would be an amusing toy for long airplane flights and other situations where mobile connectivity is limited.